Cutting apparatus for mowers or reapers.



PATENTED JULY 28, 1903. B. A. JOHNSTON. CUTTING APPARATUS FOR MOWBRS OR REAPERS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21, 1902.

2 SHBETSSHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

No. 734,714; "PATENTED JULY 28, 1903.

A B A. JOHNSTON. CUTTING APPARATUS FOR MOWERS 0R RBAPERS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21. 1902.

no MODBLL 2 SHEETS-SHEET a."

k W W UNITED STAT-Es" Patented Jul -2e, 1903;

I P TENT @FFICE.

EDWARD A. JOHNSTON, 0F CHICAGQ-ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO INTER- NATIONAL HARVESTER'OOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A COR- PQRATION on NEW JERSEY.

CUTTINGAAPPLARATUS Foe MowEQRs OR REAPERS.

SPECIFICATION formingpafl'of Letters Patent No. 734,114., dated July as, 1903. Application filed November 21, 1902. Serial No. 132,279. (No model.)

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cutting Apparatus-for Mowers or Reapers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theartto which it appert'ains to? V j the usual wear-plates j 7t, which are shown The object in View is to lower the WOI'klUg-f make and use the same.

position of the cutter-bar, so as to bring itas near as possible to the surface of the ground over which it works; and the invenlion consists in an improved construction of and manner of connecting the shoes to the finger:-

bar, so that instead of the usual thickness and weight of metal between the-shoes and the ground the finger-bar is connected to the shoes at two places, one above and the other below, the principal connection being the one above, and the one. below having only suflicient thickness to provide the necessary way for the cutter-bar to slide on.

The improved construction is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the finger-bar, showing its connection with the usual coupling-yoke. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the inner shoe.

knife-head and knife-head guide in position, also in dotted lines the location of thesupplemental wearing plate. ble side elevation of the outer shoe, showing the finger-bar and the cutter-bar in the section, also in dotted lines the position of the.

cutter-bar b is also of the ordinary construction and has the usual knife-head c, which connects it to the operating-pitman d.

Fig. 3 is a stubble; side elevation of theinner shoe, showing the Fig. 4 is a stub;

The particular construction and manner of secu ring the inner shoe 6 and outer shoe f to the finger-bar, which constitute the essence of the present invention, will be described later on; but their general form and outline are the same as heretofore, and the inner shoe is pivotally-connected to the usual yoke g by fore-and-aft hinge-pins 'at h h, the yoke itself being sleeved in the outer end of the conpling'bar o'. Both shoes are provided with in full lines in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4c.

Heretofore the finger-bar has been secured to the upper surface of the shoes only, and in order to make the parts sufficiently strong to front upturned end rearward to a point about midway-of the width of the finger-bar. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, this bottom plate is very thin as compared with the corresponding part of the ordinary shoe. In fact, it preferably contains only metal enough to provide the necessary way for the it and the knife-head c slide thereon, being held down in position by the guide m overlapping-the rear-edge of the head, as best shown-in Figs-3.

The rear part n of the shoe is disconnected from the bottom plate and raised above its level, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and this part of the shoe is connected to the frontpart by means of a strong vertical .yoke-like'ribeor flange 0, which extends from near the point of the shoe along its inner edge. On itsuuder side the part n ofthe shoe-is-rabbeted, as

cutter, as-it'will of course be understood that shown at p, to receive the upper rear edge 5 of the finger-bar. This edge is preferably plain, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, as it is desirable to make the upper surface of the finger-bar smooth; but the under surface of the bar is rabbeted along the front edge,as shown IOC at q inallthefi-gures, to strengthen it, as the bar is preferably made thinner than usual and so as to receive the bottom plate Z, flush with the under surface of the rear part, as well as to permit the said plate to be securely fastened in place on the under side of the baragainst lateral movement.

The two'parts Z and n of the shoe are thus located on opposite sides of the finger-bar and are preferably, though not necessarily, secured thereto by separate fastenings, the part 'n being fastened by the bolt .5- and the plate being fastened by other bolts 6, which are also preferably the means for securing the knife-head guide m to the upper side of the bar.

The outer shoe f is constructed with substantially the same thin floor part u, extending rearwardly from its front portion, and it has also an overhanging part 2) corresponding in function to the part it of the inner shoe and also corresponding thereto in position, except that it extends farther forward so as to actually overlie the rear end of the part to and permit the'two parts to be secured to the finger-bar by a single fastening-bolta: instead of by separate fastenings, as at the other end.

The parts a and e are fitted to the fingerbar in the same way as, the corresponding parts of the inner shoe-that is to say, the part 1; is rabbeted on its under side, as at w, and the partufits in the rabbet on the under side of the finger-bar, and the rear part 1; is supported and strengthened from the point or main portion of the shoe by means of the vertical flange y.

The construction being as above described it will be readily understood that the fingerbaris thus brought down closer to the ground and that the change from the old construction has been made without sacrificing any of the strength or rigidity of the parts or interferingin any way with the usual adjust-' ability of the wear-plates j and 7a through the intermediacy of the ordinary connections a and b for this purpose.

The employment of separate fastenings for the two parts of the inner shoe is of course only a matter of convenience, enabling the provision of the adjustable knife-head guide min position. Obviously, however, the arrangement adopted at the outer end may be employed and the two parts overlapped, so as to permit a single fastening to be employed.

Each shoe is practically divided into two parts, the front part consisting of a thin plate and being connected to the under side of the finger-bar, and the rear part, which is the heavier,being secured to the upper side of the finger-bar on the opposite side from the plate, and the two parts being rigidly secured together by' the vertical flanges 0 and 1 which extend from the upper surface of the front main parts of the shoe and are arched rearwardly over the finger and cutter bar to permit the latter to work freely thereunder.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a cutting apparatus for mowers and reapers, the combination with the finger-bar, of a shoe having a front connection to the under side of the bar, and a rear connection to the upper side of the bar.

2. In a cutting apparatus for mowers and reapers, the combination with the finger-bar, of a transversely-divided shoe, the front part of said shoe being connected to the under side of the finger-bar, and the rear part of the shoe being connected to the upper side of the bar.

3. In a cutting apparatus for mowers and reapers, the combination with the finger-bar, of a shoe having a plate extending rearward and secured to the under side of the bar, and an arched bar or rib extending rearward over the cutter-bar, the rear part of the shoe being connected to and supported by said bar or rib, and said rear part of the shoe being secured to the upper side of the finger-bar.

4c. In a cutting apparatus for mowers and reapers, the combination with the finger-bar, of a divided inner shoe havinga rearwardlyextending bottom plate-l secured to the under side of the finger-bar, an overlying rear part 01- secured to the upper side of the bar, and a vertical bar or rib 0 extending from the upper side of the front part of the shoe rearward above the finger-bar, and supporting and strengthening said rear part n of the shoe.

5. In a cutting apparatus for mowers and reapers,the combination with the finger-bar, of a divided outer shoe having a rearwardlyextending bottom plate a, and a rear part 4) extending forwardly at a higher elevation, the bottom plate being secured to the under side of the finger-bar, and the rear part being secured to the upper side of the bar, and said two parts being secured together by the vertical rib or flange y.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD A. JOHNSTON.

Witnesses:

CHAS. N. CHAMBERS, ALFRED E. OHADWIGK. 

